In the continuing saga concerning the slow death of Freehold Raceway, I offer this entry today.
The Dexter Cup Qualifying Round was held today with a purse of $48,000. There were 18 entries. The best way to handle this to satisfy the fans and the horsemen would have been to have 2 nine-horse divisions with the best four coming back for the final next week. This would have provided two competitive betting fields with purse to the horsemen of $24,000 each. What does Freehold do? 3 boring six horse fields with purses of $16,000 each. Needless to say, the top two betting interests in each race finished 1-2 and the biggest exacta payoff was $14 with the 2nd favorite beating the 3/5 shot. The other two exactas paid $12 and $8. Instead of providing an exciting couple of races with large fields and a long shot possibilities, they provide us with a parade of chalk, and in the process pay less out to the winning horsemen as well. If you're looking for fans, this is NOT the way to do it..
